Rights not given to the lgbtq+ community
Around a third of countries in the world explicitly criminalise LGBT people in some form. While this achieved in a variety of ways, and enforced to varying degrees, wherever these laws exist they have a profoundly negative effect on the LGBT community.
How are LGBT people criminalised?
Laws which criminalise LGBT people are invariably framed in a way which criminalises sexual acts rather than identities. The specific framing of criminalising provisions varies from country to country, though common formulations include ‘sodomy’, ‘buggery’, ‘indecency’, ‘unnatural acts’, ‘homosexuality’, ‘lesbianism’, and ‘cross-dressing’.
In many cases, criminalising provisions are vaguely worded and unclear in scope, allowing a big margin of interpretation by law enforcement officers and judges, who are enabled to introduce their hold prejudices when enforcing the law. Additionally, the universe of these provisions encourages police officers to perform beyond the exact letter of the law, and arrest, charge, and prosecute people based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender self even where no prohibited act has been involved or can be proven.
In some countries, law enfo
LGBTQ Rights
Know your rights Back to Know Your Rights main page
The legal landscape for LGBTQ people is constantly evolving. If you think you have been discriminated against and would like our assistance, please visit our Report LGBTQ and HIV Discrimination Page and we can help you figure out whether you are protected under federal or articulate laws.
Can an employer discriminate against me because of my sexual orientation or gender identity?
Your rights
Employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act from discriminating on the basis of sex, and the U.S. Supreme Court held in 2020 (Bostock v. Clayton County), that firing someone on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is sex discrimination. In addition, many states and cities own laws banning this kind of discrimination, and some of those laws employ to smaller employers.
If you believe that your rights hold been violated
If you think that you have experienced discrimination at work, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), or with your state human rights enforcement agency where applicable. Try
Over 120 Bills Restricting LGBTQ Rights Introduced Nationwide in 2023 So Far
January 19, 2023 10:00 am
WASHINGTON – As the 2023 legislative session begins, politicians across the country already introduced 124 total bills restricting LGBTQ people, targeting their freedom of statement, the safety of transgender students, and access to health care for gender dysphoria.
At the center of the American Civil Liberties Union’s efforts to stand against these bills is a new digital dashboard tracking bills as they are introduced to aide advocates, organizers, and allies take deed. Bills attacking LGBTQ rights are assessed by ACLU legal staff, categorized by their issue emphasis, and regularly updated to reflect their current status.
“These bills represented a coordinated effort to reject transgender people our freedom, our shelter, and our dignity,” said Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice at the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. “Across the region, trans people and our families are gearing up to fight back and prevent every one of these bills from becoming rule. The history of LGBTQ people in the U.S. shows we are hardly strangers to having our health nurture politicized
LGBT People in the US Not Protected by Articulate Non-Discrimination Statutes
At the federal level and in most states, non-discrimination statutes carry out not expressly enumerate sexual orientation and gender culture as protected characteristics. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. expressly enumerate either or both of these characteristics in their non-discrimination statutes, although not necessarily in all settings. This investigate brief estimates the number of LGBT people who are protected by such statutes in the areas of employment, education, common accommodations, housing, and credit—and the number who are not.
Key Findings
- An estimated 8.1 million LGBT workers age 16 and older dwell in the United States. Nearly half of these workers—3.9 million people—live in states without statutory protections against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment.
- There are over 3.5 million LGBT students age 15 and older in the U.S. About 2 million live in states without statutory protections against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in education.
- There are an estimated 13 million LGBT people age 13 and older in the U.S. Approximately 6.5 millio
The human rights of woman loving woman, gay, bisexual, transgender, homosexual, 2-spirit and intersex persons
Canada stands up for the protection and promotion of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, 2-spirit and intersex (LGBTQ2I) people globally.
The human rights of all persons are universal and indivisible. Everyone should enjoy the same fundamental human rights, regardless of their sexual orientation and their gender identity and expression.
Article 1 of the Universal Announcement of Human Rights declares that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Article 2 declares, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration.” All people, including LGBTQ2I individuals, are entitled to enjoy the protection provided by international human rights law, which is based on equality and non-discrimination.
Nearly 30 countries, including Canada, recognize gay marriage. By contrast, more than 70 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex deeds. This includes 6 countries that effectively impose the death penalty on consensual same-sex sexual acts. In 6 other countries, the death penalt